A study has found that use of heroin to treat the deteriorating heroine users is less expensive and effective as compared to methadone. The study was conducted by the researchers of University of B. C. and Providence Health Care.

For the study, the researchers observed the data taken from the North American Opiate Medication Initiative (NAOMI). During the study, the researchers found that patients taking heroin as treatment had fewer chances of relapsing as compared to the patients taking methadone.

The findings of the study have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It has been informed by the Director of the Centre of Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences, Aslam Anis that it costs $1.14 million a year to provide methadone treatment. However, the heroin treatment costs only $1.09 million.

It has been emphasized that heroin treatment should be prescribed to patients as it help in saving money and also ensures healthy life for a long time. It has been unveiled that the NAOMI study was conducted in 2005 and 2008 at Vancouver and Montreal.

Aslam Anis said, “When they are in treatment it doesn't matter which medication they are getting… What matters is that those who are on methadone relapse [more often] and the costs associated with the relapsed state are higher”.

At present heroin treatment is not available in clinics. It has been proposed that the treatment should be made available in the clinics so that drug addict patients could be treated. Aslam Anis is of the view that heroin treatment help patients in behaving in friendly manner in the society. Drug abusers are at great risk of indulging in property crimes. Aslam Anis believes that through the heroin treatment, drug abusers could be saved from falling again in the trap of drug abuse.